A Novel T-C-T Solar Photovoltaic Array Configurations using Rearrangement of PV Modules with Shade Dispersion Technique for Enhancing the Array Power

Abstract

Total-Cross-Tied (TCT) solar array configuration has more output power under uniform irradiance condition (un-shade case) among all conventional solar photovoltaic (SPV) array configurations but reduced array power under non-uniform irradiance cases (shading cases). To improve the performance of TCT array configuration under shading cases by using rearrangement or repositioning of existing photovoltaic (PV) modules in TCT configuration to new optimal locations within a TCT array configuration with shade dispersion technique. In this rearranged method, repositioning the modules based on puzzle pattern without altering the electrical connections among modules in an SPV array. The shading on PV modules are dispersed by changing the position of PV modules to optimal locations within SPV array so the performance of conventional TCT configuration will be improved. In this paper proposed an optimal TCT configurations, it requires a minimum number of electrical connections or ties between array modules and it depends on the shaded modules location in SPV array and also the proposed method reduces the wiring losses, mismatch losses. For this analysis, MATLAB/Simulink software is used for modeling and simulation of 6x6 size different rearrangement based TCT and proposed optimal SPV array configurations under one un-shaded case and fourteen different shading cases.